The Safe Way To Color Natural Hair

Glamazons,

The way it normally works on this blog is I try out a product and if I love it, I rush to share it with my Glamazons. But this situation is a bit different. This time, I experimented with hair color and learned what not to do. And I’m telling you guys all about it.

When I big chopped, I was so concerned about not looking like a boy, I decided to color my hair. I immediately grabbed a regular hair color kit from the beauty supply store (in fact, it was one I used when my hair was relaxed) and begged my roomie to apply it. My thinking was: I had no trouble the first time around (evidence below) so why not give it a go with natural hair.

In college when I dyed my relaxed hair

Epic fail.

After dying my natural hair

My hair didn’t fall out or anything, but it was significantly dryer and weaker because of the color. That experience is what led me to gag, literally gag, over Jullanar Barron‘s hair.

Jullanar Barron (right) with natural hair guru, Felicia Leatherwood

The beauty, who serves as Shea Moisture’s Creative Director, recently big chopped and colored her hair using Shea Moisture Moisture-Rich, Ammonia-Free Hair Color System, which comes in 12 shades from blonde to jet black.

Jullanar Barron with Felicia Leatherwood and Nicole Ari Parker

And look at how soft and springy her curls are! Her hair is super healthy and strong, not damaged by the color at all.

She told me that Shea Moisture‘s hair color system stands alone because it nixes harsh chemicals like ammonia and sulfate in exchange for soy protein, flax seed oil and organic shea butter. The natural ingredients help strengthen hair, retain moisture and replenish lost protein. It minimizes damage while providing bold, long-lasting color. “It’s enriched with botanicals and nutrients to help keep the moisture in natural hair so you don’t get what happens with a chemical-laden product that dries out hair. My hair is very soft and moisturized,” she said.

Jullanar listed two other moisture-rich products from Shea Moisture‘s Raw Shea collection as her faves: “Two of my personal favorites, because I just got my big chop done this past September by Diane Bailey, are raw shea moisture retention shampoo and raw shea extra moisture detangler.”

Jullanar has a thing for color, as evidenced by her hair, her funky sense of style (she wore navy polka dots with yellow accessories when we met) and the decor of the Shea Moisture pop-up shop, which she designed.

She gave me the scoop on the inspiration behind the pop-up shop’s vibrant, colorful aesthetic: “With everything we do, culture and diversity are two major inspirations for where we decide to go and what we decided to do when we’re there. New Orleans definitely inspired all the decor because it’s always a celebration in Nola and we wanted to celebrate this being our first year and us finally getting to join our folks down at Essence Music Festival.”

Everyone raved about the wallpaper, which she found at a company that’s based in Brooklyn (ironically where the first Shea Moisture store opened) but I also loved the wooden bookshelves that gave the store an intimate, home-like atmosphere: “We’re a family-oriented brand so we want people to feel like there at home. Our customers are family to us,” she explained. “We also want everyone to feel welcome. We support lifestyles for folks that are newly natural and those that have been doing it for years.”

I immediately felt at home at the Shea Moisture pop-up, but the warm, friendly setting was just the beginning. It was a natural girl’s dream because of all the products, services and consultations offered, which Jullanar said is a staple for every Shea Moisture pop-up shop: “It carries all the staples at a Shea Moisture shop: a salon in the back, the entire offering of our products which you won’t find anywhere else and as always, we have our professional artists like Diane Bailey and Felicia Leatherwood doing consultations.”

I especially loved chatting with Felicia Leatherwood (who I met here) and grabbing as many Shea Moisture products as I could fit in one bag. If you’re a fan of the Shea Moisture brand but can’t always find your fave products at retailers like Target and Walgreens, I recommend hitting up a pop-up shop to get your hands on the full line.

In the meantime, shop some of my favorites from Shea Moisture here:

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And stay tuned for a review of my top Shea Moisture picks! Has anyone tried the Shea Moisture Hair Color System? What was your experience?  If you’d like to give it a whirl, pick it up here.

How do you color your natural hair while keeping it healthy?

Kisses,

Glamazon Jessica